WASHINGTON, D.C., September 22, 2004 – By a voice vote, the House of Representatives today approved a resolution introduced by Environment, Technology, and Standards Subcommittee Chairman Vernon J. Ehlers (R-MI) commending the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its employees for their dedication and hard work during Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan.

“Because of NOAA’s accurate forecasts and warnings, emergency management officials were able to safely evacuate an estimated six million people during the three storms,” Ehlers said. “While there were 90 fatalities and an estimated $14 billion to $23 billion in damages in the U.S., the results would have been much worse without the forecasts and warnings from NOAA. The dedicated employees of NOAA, especially in the National Weather Service, deserve our utmost appreciation for their long hours and hard work to warn citizens in the line of these three storms, and for all their continued excellent work as they track tropical storms this -- and every -- hurricane season.”

House Appropriations Committee Chairman C.W. Bill Young (R-FL), a lead cosponsor of Ehlers’ resolution, said, “NOAA's staff throughout Florida, including those at the National Hurricane Center and the pilots and crew who fly the hurricane hunter missions for NOAA and the Air Force Reserve, have played an invaluable role in warning millions of Florida residents of the dangerous track for hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Ivan. While no one can predict the path of hurricanes with complete certainty, NOAA's employees have tracked these three major storms minute by minute and have given Florida's residents and emergency operations personnel the best chance to save lives and protect their businesses and property to the best of their ability.”

“This record-breaking hurricane season has only confirmed what many of us in Congress have known all along – that NOAA and its employees play a vital role not only in preserving our vast oceanic and coastal resources, but also in protecting the American people,” said Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY). “During Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan, the dedicated men and women at NOAA remained on the job, providing vital forecast and warning information to the public even while their own families and properties were in harm’s way. Their dedication and commitment saved countless lives. To them I say: ‘Job well done.’”

Representative Jo Bonner’s (R-AL) District includes Baldwin County where the eye of Hurricane Ivan made landfall. Bonner, whose entire District has been declared a disaster area, said, “The impact of Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Ivan on the southeastern United States has been incalculable, and it will be quite some time before the residents of the affected areas have gotten their lives back to normal. However, were it not for the tremendous work of the staff at NOAA who provided timely updates, storm tracks, warnings, and official information, my home state of Alabama and many other states could not have done an adequate job of preparing for these storms. While the loss of life experienced as a result of these storms was tragic, the information and advance warnings provided by NOAA undoubtedly prevented a much greater number of casualties.”

Representative Tom Feeney (R-FL), whose District was heavily damaged by Hurricanes Charley and Frances said, “During the past six weeks NOAA has kept at-risk Floridians and concerned Americans continually informed. State and federal agencies received up to the minute storm forecasts because of the around the clock work of NOAA’s dedicated staff. This information allowed residents to protect property and, if needed, evacuate to safer areas. On behalf of the many citizens of Florida's 24th Congressional District whose lives were impacted by both Hurricanes Charley and Frances, I would like to extend our sincerest gratitude for NOAA's effort and dedication.”

Since 1995, only one out of seven major hurricanes spawned in the Atlantic have made landfall in the U.S., compared with a 100-year average of one in three. The Florida peninsula alone saw 14 major hurricanes between 1926 and 1965, though the State has not experienced three hurricanes in one season since 1886.

Several NOAA offices played critical roles in forecasting Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan, predicting the storms’ paths, informing the public, and supplying vital information to various State and Federal agencies, including:

The National Hurricane Center, which provided warnings to that led to the safe evacuation of more than 6,000,000 residents;
The Southern and Eastern Region Weather Forecast offices of San Juan, Miami, Tampa Bay, Key West, Melbourne, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Atlanta, Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, Morristown, Charleston, Morehead City, Wilmington, Wakefield, Taunton, Lake Charles, New Orleans, Jackson, Nashville, and Houston;
The National Ocean Service, which provided storm surge predictions and hydrographic information support to federal partners before, during, and after Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan;
The National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service, which provided the satellite images used on television;
The NOAA Marine and Aviation Operation Hurricane Hunters, which flew planes into the hurricanes on data-gathering missions; and
The Southeast River Forecast Center, which provided flood predictions.

Ehlers’ resolution, H.Con.Res. 488, was approved by voice vote. A PDF file of the resolution is attached to this release.

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